Twitter, Social Media Explodes As Earthquake Shakes New York City Area And Northeast
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 5.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt along the Northeast coast Tuesday shook the ground, swayed buildings and left many residents wondering what was happening.
Tuesday afternoon, those that were at work, at home and online across the Tri-State area during the event took to social media to make their thoughts known.
Before most even knew for sure that it was an earthquake which struck New York City and a large portion of the East Coast, Twitter was flooded with the #Earthquake hashtag as users, including celebrities and reporters, took to the social media outlet. The Internet giant later tweeted that 40,000 earthquake-related tweets were inputted within one minute of the quake.
"And, we hit about 5,500 Tweets per second (TPS). For context, this TPS is more than Osama Bin Laden's death & on par w/ the Japanese quake," @twitter said.
"Seriously, my first instinct during the #earthquake: Tweet this. 2nd: Duck and cover," wrote Washington Post editor Doris N. Truong.
Other found clever ways to poke fun at politicians.
"It was a reaction to George Pataki's president speculation," tweeted Slate.com political reporter Dave Weigel.
"I think Chris Christie just jumped into the race," wrote Salon.com writer Alex Pareene.
NYC Aviation used a hashtag to add some subtle humor to their announcement of delays.
"GROUND STOPS at #DCA, #EWR, #IAD, #JFK and #PHIL due to the #earthquake. #grabasnickers."
Meanwhile, one New York City bar and restaurant attempted to use the earthquake - and the power of social media - for business purposes.
"Attention NYC: #Earthquake party at Southern Hospitality!!" tweeted the Upper East Side establishment.
The quake was felt as far west as Ohio.
One former CBS employee even reported feeling it on the 21st floor of a building in Manhattan.
There are no reports of injury at this time.
Did you feel it? Let us know in the comments section below!
